At Elvington Church of England Primary School, Collective Worship reflects the traditions of the Church of England and develops learners’ understanding of Anglican traditions and practice.

We work with the local vicar (Rev. Jackie – Priest in Charge Derwent Ings Benefice) and other church members to plan and deliver acts of worship that are invitational, reflective and engaging.  There is sufficient flexibility in the provision of Collective Worship to enable all pupils to benefit without compromising their beliefs.

We deliver Collective Worship that is inclusive, invitational and inspiring…

Inclusive: We ensure that content is relevant to the children, their interests and current events.  We plan for worship to be delivered by people from within and beyond the school community. It is important that our approach to Collective Worship encourages our pupils to think, ask questions, consider, contribute and critically reflect.  Our Collective Worship provides the opportunity to engage whilst allowing the freedom of those of different faiths and those who profess no religious faith to be present and to engage with integrity.

Invitational: Collective Worship at Elvington facilitates child-led opportunities including pupil-led Collective Worship, pupil-led prayer/reflection and opportunities for pupil contributions.

Inspiring:  Worship is informed by our vision and values; it empowers and encourages children to have the freedom and agency to respond beyond the collective worship session (some responses captured in reflectional books).  Our programme of Collective Worship aims to motivate pupils and adults into action, into thinking differently, and into reflecting on their and the wider community’s behaviour and actions.

Collective Worship provides pupils and school staff with the opportunity to:

• Engage in an act of community.
• Express praise and thanksgiving to God.
• Be still and reflect.
• Explore the big questions of life and respond to national events.
• Foster respect and deepen spiritual awareness.
• Reflect on the character of God and on the teachings of Christ.
• Affirm Christian values and attitudes.
• Share each other’s joys and challenges.
• Celebrate special times in the Christian calendar.

Our approach to Collective Worship is underpinned by the School Vision of supporting each child and adult to flourish and live “life in all its fullness”.

Acts of worship generally follow themes that are linked to the schools vision and values and include the pattern of the church’s year; please see below:

Monday	Whole school Collective Worship to launch the week’s focus.
Tuesday	Newsday Tuesday – Christianity focus on a local, national or international news story.
Wednesday	Whole School Worship led by Rev. Jackie and other church members.
Thursday	Class Worship led by the class teacher or children.
Friday	Celebration Worship where we celebrate achievements in the week.

Pupil-Led Collective Worship Leaders

To allow children the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of our worship themes, and consequently our School’s Christian Vision/Values, children across all year groups were given the opportunity to apply to be Pupil-Led Collective Worship Leaders.

The role of Pupil-Led Collective Worship Leaders allows the children to explore a specific theme beforehand through research, discussion and drama.  The aforementioned ensures that the material covered is presented to the rest of the school, using age appropriate language which allows all children to understand the themes being presented/discussed.

For more detailed information on Collective Worship please read our Collective Worship Policy, on our Policies Page.

You can find the details of upcoming events on class newsletters, on the class pages, and the website calendar.